Broken Waltz
by Depths of Silence
Summary: “Not friends, but not lovers, we're in-between,” she whispered, but he simply continued staring at her with a blank expression on his face, “And that’s where we’ll always be until you let your ghosts go.” Soujiroh x Yuki. Rui x OC Tsukasa x Tsukushi.
1. Say Goodbye to My Dream

**Disclaimer: **_Hana Yori Dango _belongs to **Yoko Kamio**, which clearly shows that I own absolutely nothing. All I own is my characters and the plot.

**Title:** Broken Waltz

**Rating:** T

**Genres:** Drama, Romance, Friendship, Family, Humour, Angst.

**Warnings:** Language

**Pairings: **Rui/OC, Soujiroh/Yuki, Tsukasa/Tsukushi.

**Summary****:**"Not friends, but not lovers, we're in-between," she whispered, but he simply continued staring at her with a blank expression on his face, "And that's where we'll always be until you let your ghosts go."

**Authoress' Note:** This story follows the _jdrama_ **Hana Yori Dango**. I read the especial one-shot that was added to the manga about a certain marriage, which was actually what gave me the idea for this story. I also want to apologize for two things; first, for the errors you'll find; since **English** is my _**second**_ language, it's rather hard for me to correct all of the mistakes that I leave on every page before posting the new chapter. Secondly, because I'm afraid the characters may end up a bit OOC. For all that, I apologize.

* * *

**Broken Waltz **

**Chapter 1**

_Say Goodbye to My Dream_

The F4…such name was feared all over the world. Everyone was aware of who they were, and what they did as entertainment. At night, many girls and women would whisper wishes and hopes to the moon at same time they waited for a shooting star to cross the dark heavens. Boys and men envied the F4 ability to swoon every female off her feet by using one simple smile.

Mimasaka Akira, the one who loves the company of women ten years older than him. Considered by many as an older women 'lady killer', and whose parents are bosses from the Japanese underworld.

Nishikado Soujiroh; known for his womanizing ways and for being a playboy. He is the son and heir to the largest family of Tea Ceremony practitioners.

Hanazawa Rui, the 'pet son' of the biggest trading firms in the world. He is capable of melting any girl's heart with his cool behaviour even though he is of few words. Many labelled him as the 'mysterious member'.

Domyouji Tsukasa, the heir of the famous Domyouji Worldwide Financial group. He is F4's leader and an autocrat. At the moment, he is the only one who is engaged, and the only one who sees a wedding ceremony at the horizon.

And who is his fiancé, you ask?

That information was probably the biggest surprise of all, surpassing even the one that had declared to the world that Domyouji Tsukasa was no longer available. After all, no one had expected for the famous Domyouji Tsukasa to choose an extremely underprivileged girl to be his future wife.

And what is the name of that poor girl?

Makino Tsukushi.

However, truth to be told, to understand why Domyouji Tsukasa had chosen Makino Tsukushi over all the other girls in the world, one had to meet her in person. After all, it would only be after seeing her interacting with all of the members from F4, that one would see her true essence.

Not only that, but that same person would be able to witness that Domyouji and Makino had the possibility to experience what many were unable to have; the opportunity of a lifetime.

* * *

The waltz between the wind and the world proceeded as the sweet fragrance of primroses and daffodils cuddled the crowd, dispersed through the garden. The lights that were emanating from protected candles distributed in the garden and the lights that continuously peeked from behind the curtains inside the mansion appeared to have had gotten together in order to keep the splendour of the stars away from the sky.

The scintillating of expensive jewellery reflected both its exquisiteness and magnificence while the melody of voices and laughter danced around the guests. Even the luxurious clothing and chivalrous touches appeared to be enough to put the gorgeous Full Moon to shame as the celebration continued.

One lonely figure looked up from the refined champagne glass when people suddenly started clapping. One pair of warm brown eyes quickly scanned the area before settling down on the couple that was gracefully walking down the front steps that connected the mansion to the garden.

Even though she too wanted to clap, she found it impossible to do so for it felt as if her arms had lost all strength. Instead, she took in the way the couple was dressed, and how easily it was for both of them to be spotted among the crowd.

Domyouji Tsukasa; he was dressed in an immaculate white suit with a silk golden buttoned shirt. On the pocket that existed on the right side of his chest was what appeared to be a white rose, its petals sparkling under the light of the candles. And, as expected, his feet were covered by costume-made white shoes that seemed to have a strange golden shimmer in them.

Then, there was Makino Tsukushi, whose hair had been pulled into an elegant and fashionable French braid. Like Tsukasa, she was wearing a gorgeous white dress, which tied up behind her neck, accentuating her slender shoulders. Although it was rather tight around the torso, emphasizing Tsukushi's curves, the dress loosened up a little around the waist down to the girl's ankles. On her feet, Tsukushi was wearing a pair of silver shoes which matched with the girl's silver earrings, while on her neck was the necklace that Tsukasa had given her many years ago.

As people started approaching the couple, the lonely shadow looked away before raising the glass to her lips. She did not even know why she was there; after all, on contrary of Tsukushi, she did not belong there. What was the point in introducing herself as Tsukushi's childhood friend if she noticed the looks everybody sent her way every time they understood she was nothing but a commoner?

What was the point in talking to someone when all of them behaved as if they knew that she did not even have money to buy one expensive gift? She had not even bought the dress she was wearing! Instead, she had practically been dragged to a very prestigious boutique by one of Tsukasa's friends.

Unhurriedly, she lowered her glass, and glanced at Tsukasa and Tsukushi in time to see her best friend laughing as she talked to a couple. She could not lie; she was extremely happy for Tsukushi, especially because she was aware of everything her friend had gone through ever since they were children, but at same time…

"What am I doing here?" the girl asked to herself as she stared at the golden and fizzy liquid inside her glass, and a sigh quickly abandoned her lips, "Would it be improper if I just left?"

As soon as her brain processed the words that had just left her lips, the young woman sighed deeply again. That was it; ill-mannered or not she had to leave. She had never cared if she caused a scene as long as she was able to leave in peace, but there she was, wondering if someone would consider her sudden departure rude or not.

But then again, for someone to judge her actions it meant that someone had to be watching her, and that was not possible.

"That's it then," the young woman mumbled to herself before taking one last sip of her drink, "I'm leaving."

As she nodded at her determination, the woman put her now empty glass on a table before turning her back to the crowd. It was time to go anyway; she needed to get up early on the next day, and in order to do that she needed to go to bed as soon as possible.

"Yuki-chan?"

As soon as her name reached her ears, the young woman felt all her limbs freeze in both surprise and horror. She was surprised because she had never expected for someone to acknowledge her presence, and she was horrified because she knew who had called her.

"Yuki-chan, are you leaving?"

Hesitantly, Matsuoka Yuki looked over her shoulder only to nervously smile when her eyes met Mimasaka Akira's dark orbs. She knew it was awful of her part to escape from the festivity when Akira had wasted a lot of money on her dress, shoes, hair and make-up, but she knew he would understand her reasons.

Right?

"Yuki-chan?"

"M-Mimasaka-san!" was all that Yuki managed to utter, though she mentally winced at her anxious tone. She was behaving like a child, who had been caught trying to reach out for the cookie jar. "I…I was just…"

"You were just leaving, right?" Akira cut her off, and Yuki looked away at his straightforward statement, and before she knew it, she was chewing on her lower lip in pure nervousness. "You're not enjoying the party, are you?"

"Ah, no, that's not it." Yuki started still without looking at Akira in the eye, but her words sounded weak even to her own ears. "I have… I have to prepare everything for work on Monday so I…well, I have to get up early tomorrow morning, and…"

"I can take you if you want." Akira swiftly interrupted, and Yuki raised her head to look at him, but she quickly shook her head.

"Thank you for your offer, Mimasaka-san, but I'd rather go alone." the young woman started as politely as possible, and Akira titled his head slightly to his side. "I don't want to bother you when you're having so much fun."

"You know it's not a problem, and you certainly will never bother me." Akira retorted when Yuki was turning around, the long skirt of her carmine coloured dress swinging around her legs as it fell down to her feet, "I'm sure no one will even notice I'm gone; especially now that Tsukasa and Makino have revealed themselves."

At those names, Yuki glanced at her best friend, who was now dancing quite contently in the arms of Tsukasa. For a moment, Yuki simply stood on the same spot, watching as the couple waltzed among the guests, but she looked away when Tsukushi suddenly glanced in her direction.

She knew she was going to feel bad afterwards, but she needed to go.

It was as simple as that.

"Mimasaka-san…" Yuki started as she moved her head, but she was forced to stop abruptly when Akira appeared right in front of her, holding his car-keys in the air. When she noticed the smile Akira had on his face, Yuki could not help but go red in embarrassment. "I hum…thank you for the offer, but I'll just call for a taxi."

"Nonsense, like I said, no one will notice I'm gone." Akira repeated with a small shake of his head, and before Yuki could even reply, he swiftly grabbed her wrist, and stared dragging her towards the entrance of the mansion. "Besides, what kind of gentleman would I be if I allowed my date to go home all by herself?"

"D-Date?" Yuki stammered as she glanced down at Akira's fingers that were still holding her wrist rather tightly, and even though she did not know why, she felt her blood rushing up to her cheeks again.

"Well, of course, I did bring you here, didn't I?" Akira asked good-naturedly, and Yuki gazed at the back of his head as he continued to lead her towards his car. Then, he suddenly turned his head to look at her, a wide smile still on his face, "Unless you want me to ask Soujiroh to take you home."

Now Yuki could swear her face was being illuminated by all possible shades of red and pink.

"N-No, t-that's alright," the young woman managed to stutter, but she reddened even more when Akira laughed at her discomfort only pausing when they got to his car. Quickly, Yuki sat down, and allowed for Akira to close the door before resting her hands on her lap.

"I'm sorry for making you leave like this…" Yuki apologized with a small bow right when Akira sat on the seat next to hers, but the man simply waved a hand in dismiss before he closed the door. "I was afraid people would find it impolite."

"Those people you saw usually don't care about their surroundings as long as they are alright." Akira explained as he started the engine, and Yuki looked through the window next to her. "So, they probably didn't even notice we were leaving."

"Hmm." was all Yuki hummed, the mansion of the Domyouji family fading away as Akira drove down the road. "I just…I didn't want to abandon Tsukushi like this, but I thought that since Domyouji-san is with her, she's going to be fine."

"Why don't you text her?" Akira questioned all of a sudden, and Yuki tore her eyes away from the mansions to glance at him while Akira kept his eyes on the road. "You can use my cell-phone if you want, and this way Makino will know that you left because you had to."

But that was the point, was it not? She had not felt the wish to leave; she had felt the _need_ to walk away from all the exquisiteness and speculating glances. She had felt the need to run away from that suffocating emotion, but now that she had actually abandoned the cage, she could not help but feel bad about it.

"Besides, I'm sure Makino will understand," Akira continued, and for a second Yuki wondered if she had actually spoken her thoughts out loud. "After all, you are childhood best friends, and she knows you need to go to work."

Did she? To be honest, Yuki was not sure anymore. There was no way she could deny that she was happy for Tsukushi and for the opportunity of a lifetime that her best friend was living, but… Would it be worth to mention that she had never expected to feel as if she was losing her best friend?

"Thank you, Mimasaka-san," Yuki started in a quiet tone, and the said man glanced at her through the corner of his eyes before focusing his attention on the road again, "But I won't send her a message in the future. She deserves to have some peace, and to spend some time with Domyouji-san."

"Well, I guess I understand what you mean." Akira pointed out, and Yuki allowed the corner of her lips to curl up into a timid smile before nodding. "And yeah, I guess those two do deserve to spend some days together. Tsukasa was so nervous until today that I thought he was going to punch half of the Japanese population."

"I'm sure you're exaggerating." Yuki commented as she glanced at the window next to her, but Akira simply chuckled in reply. "However…do you mind telling Tsukushi that I apologize for leaving so abruptly? When you see her, I mean."

"You may leave that to me." Akira answered in his calm tone, and Yuki could not help but keep her smile on her face at his soothing voice. "I can even explain to her that you were feeling tired, and that you needed to leave because of work."

"Thank you." was all Yuki managed to say as she bowed again, but Akira simply turned his head, and surprised her with his kind smile. "And once again, I apologize for making you take me home."

"If I remember correctly, I offered to take you home; you didn't force me to do anything." Akira pointed out, and Yuki blushed faintly at his reply, "And like I said, you're my date, therefore it's only fair that I'm the one to take you home. But next time I can tell Soujiroh to bring you."

Instantly, Yuki reddened, and quickly focused her eyes on the window next to her. She could vaguely hear Akira laughing at her behaviour as her mind slowly started recalling the well-known womanizer Nishikado Soujiroh. She had actually managed to keep a distance between herself and Soujiroh during the whole party. In fact, she had only talked to him when she had arrived, along with Akira.

After all, it had been impossible for her not to notice the two European beauties that had been accompanying Soujiroh. The fact that he would show his womanizing ways in public, especially in such a special occasion, had only served to hurt her again.

And that had been why she had tried, for the first time ever since she had met Soujiroh, to keep a distance between herself and the heir to the largest family of Tea Ceremony practitioners. But Yuki did have to admit that she had never done anything so painful before; not even when she had seen Nakatsuka wandering around through the city with another girl had hurt her that much.

"Yuki-chan?"

"Yes?" Yuki blurred out as she turned her head to look at Akira only to notice that he was staring back at her. Almost as a reaction, Yuki felt blood rushing up to her cheeks, "Did you say something?"

"I was wondering if something happened between you and Soujiroh." Akira repeated, and Yuki immediately looked at the window again, "I noticed you two barely shared two words with one another tonight."

"Nothing happened…" Yuki answered, her voice above a whisper, and she unconsciously closed her hands into fists, "We simply…didn't have anything to say to each other, that's all…"

"Hum, if you're sure…"

Of course she was not sure, but it was not as if she could confess it out loud. In fact, Yuki was surprised about how much she had spoken to Akira; usually they rarely shared a word. However, she did have to admit that ever since he had taken her to that extremely high-priced boutique, and helped her choosing the perfect dress for that event, something had changed somehow.

And one of the things Yuki had noticed was that Akira was definitely the kindest F4 member. Not only that, but he also appeared to be the voice of reason of the whole group, always trying to understand the whole situation before judging.

And Yuki guessed that those were probably two of many reasons why they actually got along so well. After all, both tried to keep peace among their friends even if that meant having to go through a very complicate path in order to reach that same amity.

"Well, we're here."

At that announcement, Yuki snapped back from her reverie, and blinked when she noticed that they were parked just outside her house. A sudden noise forced her to look to her side, and once again Yuki could not help but blink when she noticed that Akira was already outside, opening her door.

"Thank you," Yuki whispered as she accepted the hand Akira had extended towards her, and he gently helped her out of the car. As she stepped aside, Yuki watched as Akira closed the door of the car before turning to her again. "Once again, I'm sorry fo—"

"You sure apologize a lot." Akira interrupted unexpectedly, and Yuki looked down in embarrassment, "Don't worry, it was not a problem. I like to drive anyway, and it's always good to step aside from parties once in a while."

Yuki found it impossible not to smile faintly at that, and she quickly bowed in respect. After sharing another farewell, she walked towards the small gate that lead to her house, but turned around when the sound of an engine broke the silence of the night. Unhurriedly, Yuki looked to her side, her hand resting on the gate, and watched as Akira drove past her until he disappeared in a corner.

As she silently opened the gate, Yuki walked past it, but she stopped her tracks when she reached her house's front door. Then, before she knew what she was doing, she gazed over her shoulder, her eyes quickly finding the majestic moon that had a long time before conquered the throne on top of the sky.

Almost instantaneously, memories of a certain playboy filled her mind, and Yuki reflexively clenched her right hand into a fist. What she had told Akira was correct; she had barely talked to Soujiroh because there was nothing to tell him. After all, even though many thought that she was simply a young adult with an obsession, she truly loved him, which had not helped her at all when she saw who was accompanying Soujiroh at the party.

At the memory of the two European beauties, Yuki felt her insides twist so painfully that her eyes immediately started to tear up, but she kept her attention on the moon. For a moment she could swear she had heard Tsukushi's voice echoing in her mind, telling her that she was being silly for crying over a damn womanizer.

But Yuki guessed that it was true when people said that the heart listens to no one.

With a small sigh, Yuki focused her attention on the doorknob as she twisted it in order to open the door. Everyone knew what she thought of Soujiroh, and everybody knew she loved him, but perhaps it was time to try to let it go.

Silently, Yuki opened the door of her house, and walked inside before closing it gently behind her, her mind already lost in confused thoughts. Perhaps it was time for her to say goodbye to her dream…

**To Be Continued…**

**

* * *

  
**

So, what did you guys think? I forgot to tell you that Tsukasa and Tsukushi have gotten married in this story. Anyway, should I continue?

Thanks for reading!!!


	2. The Solitude of Missing Friendships

**Disclaimer: **_Hana Yori Dango _belongs to **Yoko Kamio**, which clearly shows that I own absolutely nothing. All I own is my characters and the plot.

* * *

I want to thank _**ponyo**_, _**mysterymy**_, _**darkblueskies**_, _**BlueMizuki**_, ._**xCuriousx**_., _**H.Y.D3292**_ _and_ _**ToinKs**_ for your support. I was really nervous about posting this story, but all of you managed to dissipate all nervousness away. Thank you so much! Also, I promise I will do my best in order not to disappoint you with this. Thank you so much for reading _Broken Waltz_!

* * *

**Chapter ****2**

_The Solitude of Missing Friendships_

"…_Tsukushi and Domyouji Tsukasa are the couple of the moment. Makino Tsukushi is considered by many as the luckiest girl in the whole world, and sh—"_

Yuki turned the radio off with a quick movement of her wrist before she sat down on the small stool behind her, her hands resting on her lap. For a moment, the young woman just stared at the now dead radio, her eyes unfocused as her mind drowned in perplexed thoughts and feelings.

One side of her was extremely happy for what was going on with her best friend, but another side of her… Oh, she was tired of feeling that way. She was mentally exhausted for trying so hard to keep that kind of feelings away from her heart, and she was slowly allowing self-hate to consume her limbs.

After all, how could she not loathe herself when she was oh-so aware of what she was feeling deep inside her soul? How could she not judge herself when she was unhurriedly allowing jealousy to conquer her essence?

Suddenly, Yuki shook her head, and stood up from the stool before walking towards a small pale green table. She was being a huge idiot, and she knew it! That was exactly why she was starting to hate herself. After all, Tsukushi deserved to be happy, but still… Silently, Yuki glanced around, taking in the loneliness that was consuming the once filled with life room.

A month had passed since Tsukushi had last showed up there, to inform Yuki that she was going to take summer classes. Apparently, she was not only interested in improving her English, but also in learning a few others languages so that she could accompany Tsukasa in his trips.

What was the language she wanted to learn again?

"Portuguese…" Yuki whispered to herself as she recalled Tsukushi informing her with a wide smile on her face about how excited she was about learning new languages. "I'm being an idiot. She's happy, that's all that matters…"

"Excuse me," a voice greeted all of a sudden, and Yuki snapped from her reverie, and immediately gazed at the door behind her only to see Mimasaka Akira standing there, a wide smile on his face. "Ah, I knew I was going to find you here. Your friends told me you were still here."

"Mimasaka-san!" Yuki exclaimed in surprise, and she straightened her back when she understood that she had been slouching, "W-What…? Why are you here? Did something happen?"

"No, not at all, I was simply walking by when I remembered that you were working here." Akira explained as he walked towards the young woman, and then he rested his right hand on his hip, "So, how are you? I haven't seen or hear from you ever since the wedding."

"A-ah, sorry, I've just been…busy…" Yuki answered, mentally wincing since her excuse. Akira, on the other hand, simply continued smiling at her. "Have you heard from Tsukushi?"

"Makino? Oh yeah, she kept rambling about her honeymoon, and about how her summer classes have started." Akira quickly explained, and Yuki nodded mind-absently at the reply. "Don't ask me how she managed to talk about the two things in the same sentence, though. But I thought you two still talked. Did you two get into a fight or something?"

"Eh? Oh, no, we didn't get into a fight." Yuki answered with a small shake of her head, but since Akira was still staring suspiciously at her, she decided to continue. "It's just that…I haven't talked to Tsukushi for a month, and I guess she has been extremely busy as well."

"A month?" Akira repeated as he raised an eyebrow, and Yuki nodded before she could stop herself. For a moment, both of them stood silent until Akira straightened his back, "Well, that won't do. What do you say about coming with me? I'll take you to Makino."

"I can't do that, sorry." Yuki apologized with a short bow, "I'm still working, and I can't leave Odagiri-san all alone with all the work. We still need to plan everything for the rest of the week."

"For some reason, I think Odagiri-san won't mind." Akira commented suddenly in a strange tone, and Yuki looked confusedly at him only to blink in shock when she saw her co-worker holding the young man's arm, a dreamy expression on her face.

"How could I say no to such a handsome young man?" Odagiri Aki asked in a husky tone, and Yuki felt goosebumps conquering her skin when she noticed the way her superior was staring at Akira. It looked as if Aki was more than ready to eat him! "Yuki, feel free to go, but make sure you're on time tomorrow."

"What?" Yuki blurred out before she could restrain her tongue, and Aki turned her head to look at her though she continued to hold Akira's arm with both her hands. "B-But…the children…the schedule…"

"Oh, come off it," Aki interjected, her facial expression growing harder and serious, "The children have gone home, and as for the schedule, I can very well take care of it all by myself. You go, and have some fun for a change."

At those words, Yuki felt blood rushing up to her cheeks, and she dared to glance at Akira. However, when she noticed the expression on Akira's face, she quickly felt herself go even redder; good grief, that was so embarrassing!

"Thank you, Odagiri-san." Akira thanked as he turned to the older woman, and hold her right hand carefully with both his hands, a gentle smile on his face. Aki, as expected, was staring at the young man with wide and brilliant eyes, "I promise I'll take good care of Yuki-chan."

Before Yuki knew what was going on, Akira walked towards her, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. And since he was bigger and stronger than her, Yuki had been powerless to stop him from taking her out of the kindergarten towards wherever Makino Tsukushi was.

* * *

It was with a frustrated groan that Makino Tsukushi looked up from the paper she was holding, and stared around. Students were surrounding her, some walking up and down the halls while others were gathered in random spots, either talking or studying.

Quickly, Tsukushi looked down at the paper she was holding again before gazing at the closed door beside her. Damn, she simply could not find the classroom, and that was becoming quite wearisome; she had already lost ten minutes just looking for it!

"Ah, where is it?" Tsukushi asked to herself, her dark brown eyes gazing everywhere, almost as if she was expecting for the classroom to show up in thin air, "Where is it?"

Suddenly, a young woman passed beside her, and Tsukushi widened her eyes before blurring out an 'excuse me'. Slowly, the young woman turned to her side after she stopped walking, and Tsukushi could not help but take in the girl's mid-length curly hair and its shades of brown.

"May I help you?" the young woman asked when her light brown eyes meet Tsukushi's, and the girl promptly walked forward, holding the paper with both her hands.

"I'm sorry, but do you know where this classroom is?" Tsukushi inquired as she showed the paper to the stranger, who gently grabbed it before glancing at the words written in it. "I can't find it anywhere."

"Oh, you're looking for the Portuguese class!" the young woman declared all of a sudden before raising her eyes, and Tsukushi smiled nervously at her before nodding. "I'm heading that way; would you like to come with me?"

"Ah, thank you so much!" Tsukushi thanked with a bow, but the young woman simply smiled at her, revealing her white smile before she handed Tsukushi her paper back. "I was beginning to think this class didn't exist or something."

"You're not the first student to think that, I assure you." the young woman stated, as the two of them started walking down the hall, "However, I've never seen you in class before."

"Eh?" Tsukushi asked as she widened her eyes, but a puzzled expression quickly conquered her flabbergasted one, "But classes only started this week, so…what do you mean you never saw me before?"

"Portuguese classes started last week." the young woman explained, and a high 'eh?' abandoned Tsukushi's lips at same time she stopped her tracks, her eyes widened in shock. "I take it you didn't know?"

"No, I didn't!" Tsukushi answered, but it was then that her mind recalled something, and she narrowed her eyes in anger, "That idiot! I knew I should've taken care of my things myself! Ah! Wait until I get my hands on him!"

"Idiot?" the young woman repeated as she noticed that Tsukushi was following her again, but it did not take long for the two of them to reach a closed door, "That's a strange way to refer to your husband."

"A-ah, how…?" Tsukushi trailed off when she looked at the door beside her, and saw what was written above it; _Portuguese class._ "You know, I'm happy I've finally found the classroom, but…what am I going to tell the teacher?"

"Don't worry," the young woman started as she looked from Tsukushi to the door, a small smile on her face. Then, she reached out for the doorknob, "I'm sure the teacher will understand what happened after you explain it to her."

With that said, she opened the door, and motioned for Tsukushi to walk inside with a wave of her hand. With a timid smile, Tsukushi walked through the door, and quickly spotted two empty seats at the back of the classroom. Without thinking twice, Tsukushi practically ran towards them, and sat down on the closest chair.

The young woman that had helped her, however, did not follow her.

"Boa dia," the woman spoke in a foreign language as she walked towards the desk that belonged to the teacher, and Tsukushi widened her eyes in shock. Could it be…? "Espero que tenham aproveitado o fim-de-semana."

Say what? What on earth was going on? Something just had to be wrong, because that girl did not seem to be any older than Tsukushi herself, and yet there she was, standing behind the teacher's desk, smiling warmly as the students welcomed her with a 'bom dia'.

What did 'bom dia' mean anyway?

"Hoje, vamos começar por ler o excerto de que vos falei na última aula."

As people around her started taking papers from inside their notebooks, Tsukushi started glancing around, not really knowing what was going on or what she was supposed to do. And since she was not sure about what was going, Makino simply decided to rest her hands on her lap, and look down, trying desperately not to stand out.

"Makino," at her name, Tsukushi raised her head, and noticed that the young woman that had walked her to the classroom was staring at her, holding a piece of paper in front of her, "We are going to read a small excerpt, so why don't you join someone who has the paper?"

At that, Makino nodded hesitantly, and she glanced around her only to notice that everyone was staring at her. For a moment she wondered if someone was indeed going to let her join them, but before she could move a muscle she felt someone sit down on the seat next to her. In confusion, Tsukushi turned to her side, and saw a girl sitting beside her, a paper lying on the table, between them.

"We can share." was all she said with a small smile, that Tsukushi eventually returned before glancing at the teacher again, "Oh, that's Kurosawa Natsumi-sensei; she'll probably ask you to stay a little after classes to talk to you. She did the same to me, because I only managed to come to classes on the second day."

"Ah, but…what language was she speaking when she walked in?" Tsukushi asked as she gazed at the girl, who sent her a confused look before pointing at the paper that was on the desk. Uncertainly, Tsukushi looked down at it, and observed the words written in it before gazing at the girl again.

"You're in Portuguese class, what language did you expect to hear when you decided to enrol in this class?" the girl asked matter-of-factly, and Tsukushi mentally smacked herself on her forehead; now that had been a real idiotic question…

"Inoue, do you mind reading the first three sentences?" the teacher questioned all of a sudden, and the girl beside Tsukushi stared at their teacher before nodding, and she quickly grabbed the paper. Moments later, she started reading the text written in a language that Tsukushi hoped she would be able to understand in the future.

* * *

It was in awe that Yuki stared at the university in front of her. She had always heard about Eitoku University, especially from Tsukushi, but to be staring at the building in person was a complete different matter. Now she could observe how every wall, every window, and every step reflected the prosperity of the students that gave life to the halls inside.

And even though she had been trying to control her tongue, Yuki ended up allowing her lips to part so that she could whisper a long 'wow'. From beside her, Akira simply stared at the students who were walking out of the school, chatting and laughing, an uninterested look on his face.

At least Akira had thought about the possibility of girls trying to approach him, and thus he had chosen a spot under some trees, where they could stay out of sight. So far no one had even glanced their way, and Yuki could not help but feel grateful for that. After all, after watching how girls and women threw themselves at the feet of all F4 members, Yuki could not help but feel ashamed of her own gender sometimes.

"It's sure taking her a while to show up…" Akira mumbled suddenly as he crossed his arms against his chest, and Yuki glanced sideways at him before nodding in silent agreement. "I wonder if she got lost or something…"

"She might still be in class." Yuki pointed out, not sure about what she was supposed to do, but Akira simply glanced at her before sighing, and he focused his attention on the main entrance of the university. At his silence, Yuki clasped her hands in front of her legs, and stared at the huge doors as well.

She guessed she could take those minutes to think about what she was supposed to say to Tsukushi. To be honest, she had never thought that their relationship would come to that, and perhaps that was why Yuki had never truly bothered to think of how she was supposed to approach her best friend. Their conversations and meetings had always been spontaneous, and because they wanted to see each other, but now….

"Ah, there she is!" Akira exclaimed abruptly, his arms falling to his sides, and Yuki looked up in time to see Tsukushi walking down the front steps, staring down at the book she was holding. Then, before she could think of something, Yuki felt Akira grasp her upper-arm, and pull her forward as he walked. "C'mon, let's go meet her."

Needless to say that as soon as the two of them walked out of their shelter, girls immediately started running towards Akira while screaming and shouting. Even though he was still holding Yuki's arm as he tried to make the girls go away politely, truth was that Akira was doing a lousy job to get away from the group of females that had gathered around them.

"Makino!" Akira's voice managed to overcome the noise that surrounded him, and he breathed in relief when Tsukushi looked up from her book in confusion. Could it be possible that she had not heard all that racket?

Without thinking twice, Akira pulled Yuki closer to him, almost forcing the girl to lean against his side, and it was with difficulty that they managed to step out from the circle that had been formed around them. However, when they noticed that they were indeed free, both Akira and Yuki stared at the group of girls over their shoulders before gazing at one another. Then, they did the only thing they could do.

"Makino! Run!" Akira shouted as he grasped Yuki's wrist before running towards Tsukushi, who simply continued to watch them with a perplexed expression. When he reached her side, Akira grabbed Tsukushi's wrist as well, and started pulling the two girls with him as they continued to run.

Thankfully, the three young adults managed to reach Akira's car, and quickly got away from the insane group of girls that had followed them to the parking lot. As Akira turned on a corner, Tsukushi looked over her shoulder, almost as if to make sure that they were not being followed.

"I say, what are you two doing here?" Tsukushi asked as she leaned forward, since she was sitting at the back, and Yuki hesitantly looked over her shoulder to look at her best friend. "Did something happen? What has Domyouji done this time?"

"Hey, leave the poor guy alone." Akira spoke up as he continued to drive, but the corner of his lips quickly curled up into an amused smile. "He just went back to New York, and you're already expecting for him to do something?"

"A-ah, no, I was just asking…" Tsukushi trailed off as she looked to her side, looking slightly embarrassed, and Yuki looked away in an attempt to hide her smile. "But…if Domyouji hasn't done anything, what are you two doing here?"

"Allow me to answer that question with another question," Akira started before Yuki could speak up, and he quickly glanced at Tsukushi, and noticed that she was watching him, "How long has it been since you and Yuki-chan have been together?"

"Eh? Yuki and I?" Tsukushi repeated, and when Akira nodded, Yuki immediately turned to her friend, and waved a hand in front of her face.

"Never mind him; Mimasaka-san just decided that it would be nice for us to spend some time together." Yuki quickly explained, a small smile still playing on her lips, but Tsukushi simply entitled her head slightly to her side. "I hope we're not interrupting your studies…"

"Ah no, not at all," Tsukushi answered with a small shake of her head, before gazing at the back of Akira's head, "Besides, he's right; when _was_ the last time we were together? Was it….two weeks ago?"

"Actually, last time we saw each other was one month ago." Yuki corrected, "And I guess Mimasaka-san found out about it…"

"Hey, don't blame me; I just thought it would be nice for you two to talk a little for a change." Akira spoke up in his defence, and before the two girls knew it, he had parked his car close to an extremely fancy restaurant. "Here we are."

"What do you mean, 'here we are'?" Tsukushi asked as she watched Akira walking out of the car, and after changing a quick look with Yuki, the two girls mimicked his actions. "Akira, why did you bring us here?"

"So that you can eat, of course," Akira answered matter-of-factly, causing the two girls to stare at him as if he was crazy. When he noticed their expressions, Akira turned to the girls, and smiled at them, "You don't have to worry about the money; I've taken care of everything."

"Wait, I don't really understand what's going on…" Tsukushi started, but Akira simply told her that it was time to stop talking. Without wasting any more time, Akira grasped the two girls' wrists, and led them to the front doors of the restaurant.

"Just have a nice time, and for everybody's sake, just talk okay?"

With that said, Akira smiled one last time at the two girls before turning around on his heels, and make his way back to his car. Both Tsukushi and Yuki just stood on the same spot, too flabbergasted to do anything, and watched as Akira drove off in silence.

"What was that all about?" Tsukushi asked as she continued watching as Akira's car disappeared on a corner, and Yuki entitled her head slightly to the side as she looked at the same direction.

"Who knows?" she asked in a low tone, but it was then that Tsukushi suddenly turned to her, causing Yuki to straighten up almost instantaneously. "But hum…wouldn't it be impolite if we didn't go to the restaurant? I mean…Mimasaka-san did say he had taken care of everything…"

"Well, yes, I guess we should." Tsukushi answered with a small shrug, and the two girls turned to the front doors of the restaurant. However, while Tsukushi walked inside with her head high, behaving as if she was used to enter in prosperous restaurants everyday, Yuki followed her friend in a slower pace, her head dropped in visible discomfort.

"You know, Yuki, I'm sorry I haven't been able to visit you." Tsukushi started as soon as they sat down on their seats, and received the menus from a waiter. "It's just that I've been pretty busy with the school, not to mention my family and Domyouji."

"Oh, it's okay." Yuki answered with a small smile on her face at same time she shook her head lightly, "Work has been going well; the children are fantastic, and I'm glad for having Odagiri-san as my supervisor. And I understand that things have grown busier with everything that has been going on, especially after your wedding."

"Ah, I'm so glad you understand!" Tsukushi said in a relieved tone, but Yuki simply blinked at her words, but it was then that her friend surprised her with a wide smile. "You know, you ought to go to my house one of these days. It's been ages since we had an afternoon just for us."

"Oh, I'm not sure…" Yuki trailed off due to the waiter, who had returned to ask if they had already chosen what they would like to eat. Since she did not know half of the cuisine that was displayed in the menu, Yuki decided to ask for the same thing as Tsukushi.

"Aw c'mon! You may give me a few ideas for my office and all." Tsukushi continued, and Yuki blinked at her friend's enthusiasm, "Please Yuki, you're help will be really welcomed! I have tried to ask my mum about it, and before I knew it, I was holding bunch of books about nurseries. Can you believe it? Nurseries!"

"Well, I…I guess I could…" once again Yuki trailed off, feeling a little uneasy with the prospect of going to her friend's new house, and help her decorating her office, "But I've been slightly busy at the kindergarten, and I'm studying as well so…would you like me to come over during the weekend?"

"Yes, that would be great!" Tsukushi exclaimed, her smile widening even more, "Thank you so much, Yuki! And by the way…" a short pause, and then Tsukushi entitled her head slightly to the side, "During the wedding-breakfast, you left rather early, didn't you? Did something happen?"

At that question, Yuki found herself gazing down, at the expensive glass that was standing still on her right side. For a moment she wondered if she should explain why she had left so abruptly, but Yuki decided against it; it did not matter anymore. Instead, she decided to wonder about what had happened for them to be where they now were.

She wondered about what had happened that had forced them to grow apart that much…

"Well, I hope we manage to have some fun," Tsukushi proceeded, and Yuki snapped from her thoughts to look at her friend, "I can't wait to start spending some time with you again. I've really missed our talks."

"Yeah…" Yuki managed to whisper as she nodded lightly, right when the waiter returned with their meals, and she took a deep breath, "I missed talking to you too…"

However, truth to be told, as they started eating and talking, mostly about Tsukushi's busy agenda, Yuki could not help but speculate about what had happened to them. And as Tsukushi started talking about Tsukasa's trip to New York, Yuki wondered if things would ever be the same as before.

**To Be Continued…**


	3. The Wrecked Tune of Tears

**Disclaimer: **_Hana Yori Dango _belongs to **Yoko Kamio**, which clearly shows that I own absolutely nothing. All I own is my characters and the plot.

* * *

Hello everyone. I apologize for the delay; it's just that work has become a little more troublesome, and before I knew it, my writing had been pushed aside. Anyway, I hope it was worth waiting for this chapter. Thank you for the attention!

* * *

**Chapter ****3**

_The Wrecked Tune of Tears_

Quietly, Tsukushi sat down on her seat, and quickly opened her book before taking a pencil from inside of her bag. Her eyes quickly fell on the exercises on the left page of the book, and as she rested her head on her hand, Tsukushi started reading the exercise. Thankfully that class was not very noise, and although there were people talking scattered throughout the room, Tsukushi was glad to notice that she was finally starting to focus.

Now, if only she could understand what she was reading...

With a sigh, Tsukushi started searching for the page where she hoped to find something that could clarify what she was supposed to do. However, it did not take long for her movements to get slower, until her fingers stopped moving the pages as Tsukushi stared into space.

Thoughts concerning the lunch she had had with Yuki three days ago were gradually taking over her mind, and before Tsukushi knew it, she put the pencil down, and closed the book. A sigh abandoned her lips as she recalled how much she had missed spending time with her best friend, and of how they had started growing apart after Tsukasa had asked for her hand at school.

Well, at least Yuki had understood what was going on, and for that Tsukushi was indeed thankful. All she hoped was that from that moment on things could return to what they had once been; she would do her best to make it so.

"Good morning."

Tsukushi snapped from her thoughts at the voice, and she looked to her side only to see the girl that had helped her when she had first showed up in the Portuguese class. Hum…what was her name again? Inoue…Inoue something…

"Oh, hello," Tsukushi greeted, and the girl smiled at her before sitting down, "How are you?"

"I'm cool, and you know, I just realised I haven't introduced myself." the girl started before raising a hand, which Tsukushi quickly shook "My name is Inoue Kiya. And you're Tsukushi, ne? Domyouji Tsukasa's wife?"

"A-ah, yes…" Tsukushi answered though a little embarrassedly, and she looked away in a failed attempt to hide her faint blush, but Kiya simply smiled at her. "Oh, did you manage to do our homework? I tried, but I really didn't understand half of it."

"Well, it was required some research from our part, but—"

"Bom dia!" a voice greeted unexpectedly, and everyone in the classroom instantly went silent before greeting the teacher as soon as she walked through the door, "Espero que estejam todos bem."

As she listened to her teacher as she explained what they were going to do, Tsukushi could not help but observe her with narrowed eyes. Kurosawa Natsumi did not appear to be any older than Tsukushi herself, and although she did have Japanese physical traits such as her eyes, she was tall, probably 5'6, and had a slightly sturdy figure that could be ignored due to her hourglass figure. Tsukushi almost dared to say that her teacher also had some European or perhaps American traits, but she could not be sure.

"Makino-san,"

At her name, Tsukushi quickly abandoned her thoughts, and noticed that her teacher was staring at her. Hastily, she blurred out a 'yes?', and Natsumi raised the book she was holding with both her hands.

"The exercise, did you do it?"

"Oh, hum….not really…" Tsukushi confessed, a bit embarrassedly, her hands resting on her lap, but Natsumi simply continued to stare at her, "I did try to do it though, but…well, I didn't understand some parts..."

"Very well, would you like to come to the board?" Natsumi questioned as she waved a hand towards the white board behind her, and Tsukushi mentally groaned before standing up from her chair. Swiftly, she walked towards the front of the class, and started solving the exercise under the attentive eyes of her classmates and teacher.

* * *

Both Akira and Soujiroh were laughing quite loudly as they walked through the street, and only interrupted the happy atmosphere to utter a few, quite random words. Everyone around them practically stepped out of their way, most likely for knowing that they were two members of the famous F4.

"Man, it has been a while since I last laughed like this." Akira confessed as the two young men stopped because of a red light, "It's sad that Tsukasa and Rui aren't here with us though. But hey, speaking of which, do you know when Tsukasa is going to return?"

"He just left the New York, and you already want him back?" Soujiroh asked with a smirk, but Akira simply chuckled at his question, "But I don't know, I think he'll probably come to Japan in less than a month. Why are you asking?"

"Aw, I was just thinking that it's been a while since we've all been together." Akira commented before taking a deep breath, "I was wondering that perhaps we could throw a party for Tsukasa when he returns, but just with us."

"Ah, that's a cool idea! We could go and have some fun." Soujiroh agreed with a short nod before wrapping an arm around Akira's shoulders when the light turned green, "We could go look for some nice girls, and have a very nice time. Oh wait, Makino would kill us if we did that. We can't forget that although those two are no longer virgins, they are still committed to each other."

"I was actually thinking about gathering everyone at my house," Akira corrected as the two of them continued walking through the rather crowded street, and Soujiroh sent him a look. "Aw c'mon, this way Makino could come."

"Of course we have to invite Makino! It's not as if Tsukasa would show up if she wasn't there." Soujiroh laughed lightly, and once again, Akira chuckled at his words. "But sure, I guess a nice time among friends sounds good as well."

"We could invite Yuki-chan as well."

Soujiroh dropped his arm off his friend's shoulder at those words, and looked away at same time he stuffed his hands inside his pants pockets. Akira, on the other hand, continued to watch him in silence, a strange expression on his face.

"You don't think it's a good idea?" Akira asked as he raised an eyebrow slightly, and he crossed his arms against his chest, "I mean, this way Makino wouldn't be the only girl, and such. And besides, it seems that the two of them have been growing apart ever since Tsukasa and Makino's wedding…"

"If she's there, I won't go." Soujiroh interrupted all of a sudden, and Akira blinked at his friend's words. "There's no point in me being around a girl who practically stalks me. You know how annoying she can be."

"You know, I don't really understand what happened between the two of you, but I sure know you don't mean that." Akira started as they continued with their stroll, but Soujiroh simply continued staring to his side, without uttering a word, "Yuki-chan is a very nice girl, and she deserves to be invited as well."

"Akira…"

"I don't really understand what's going on between the two of you, but I don't really care." Akira continued, and Soujiroh let out an inaudible sigh, "Yuki-chan is my friend, and she deserves to be with us as well. I'm sure it won't hurt you if you spend a few hours around her."

"I'll think about it." Soujiroh retorted, and Akira had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes. He seriously did not understand what was going on between one of his best friends and Yuki, but he was going to find out sooner or later.

* * *

Softly, Tsukushi sat down on the king-sized bed, holding a huge and thick album against her chest. The cover was the purest white, and on the side _'Domyouji Wedding'_ could be read in golden letters. Two months had passed ever since Domyouji Tsukasa and Makino Tsukushi had said 'I do', and that was the first time they were spending some time apart after getting married.

And it was needless to say that Tsukushi was beginning to miss their little quarrels.

Tenderly, Tsukushi opened the album, and her eyes immediately fell on a picture where she was all by herself, dressed in her silk white gown. On the page on the right side was a picture of Tsukasa, in an elegant pose, dressed in his costume-made suit. Pictures of the two of them quickly followed before being surpassed by pictures of them with their friends.

One of her favourites was the one where she stood in the middle, Tsukasa on her right, while the other members of F4 were next to them. They all looked handsome, and even Rui was smiling in the picture. Sometimes Tsukushi wondered if that was one of the reasons why she loved that photograph that much.

With a smile, Tsukushi turned the page, and her content expression diminished when she found a picture of herself standing next to her childhood best friend. Yuki had indeed looked beyond lovely in her carmine dress while her long hair cascaded down her back in gentle curls. She even had a few pearls scattered through her dark tresses, Akira's idea Tsukushi was sure of.

Leisurely, Tsukushi started observing the rest of the pictures, and a frown slowly started conquering her facial expression as she noticed something. She barely had any pictures with Yuki. Aside from the one where the two of them were together, there was probably only three or four more where Yuki was.

Unconsciously, Tsukushi looked away from the album to gaze at some random spot in front of her as she recalled the wedding-breakfast. To be honest, and much for her embarrassment, she could not even remember when her maid of honour had left the festivity. Had she not paid much attention to her friend? No, that could not be, she was sure Yuki understood why she could not spend much time with her.

But then…why the lack of pictures?

Suddenly, the phone started ringing, and Tsukushi jumped slightly in fright causing the album to start slipping of her lap. Clumsily, Tsukushi rested a hand on top of album before she reached out for the ringing phone that was on Tsukasa's side of the bed.

"Hello?" Tsukushi asked as she tried to push a lock of hair that had fallen on top of her eyes away from her face. When a familiar voice came from the other side of the line, Tsukushi immediately straightened up, "Idiot! Why are you calling me all of a sudden? You scared the crap out of me!"

"_Who are you calling idiot, stupid? Next time I'll just leave you alone to endue loneliness all by yourself! Baka!"_

"Endue?" Tsukushi repeated as she blinked in confusion for a second before she let out a sigh. "You mean 'endure', don't you?"

"_That's exactly what I said! Endue!" _Tsukasa repeated, and Tsukushi decided that it was better not to even try to correct him again. _"Anyway, I'm just calling to ask how you've been. You haven't been spending time with Rui, have you?"_

It was amazing. It was almost as if he needed to ask that.

"No, I haven't seen him for quite some time if you need to know." Tsukushi answered as she rested her back against the headboard, and then she decided to change the subject. "When are you coming back?"

"_Missing me already? Ah! I should have known."_ Tsukasa started, and Tsukushi's eyebrow immediately started twitching. He was cocky as ever! _"But don't worry; you can expect me in three days. Make sure you're at the airport!"_

"Hey, you can't order me around Domyouji Tsukasa!" Tsukushi exclaimed, as she straightened her back. "Besides, you should know I have classes! I cannot go pick you up, so come alone!"

_"How dare you? It's your duty as my wife to be at the airport, waiting for me!"_

"I'm not going to change my agenda because of you!" Tsukushi practically yelled, and by now she was standing on the bed. "I am going to my classes, and you are coming home alone! We'll see each other when I come back!"

"_Why, you ungrateful woman! And to think I decided to go sooner because I missed you!" _Tsukushi froze at that, her eyes widening in both surprise and shock._ "See if I talk to you when I get home! See you in three days!"_

"Wait—!" Tsukushi went silent when she heard the familiar _click, _and she slowly raised the phone so that it was now in front of her face. Slowly, her stunned expression was taken over by an angered one, and she closed her left hand into a fist. "Well, see if I care!"

Irately, Tsukushi put the phone on its rightful place before she sat down on the mattress again, Indian-style, her arms crossed against her chest. That was so like Tsukasa! Everyone had to change their agendas in order to be at the airport to welcome the almighty Domyouji Tsukasa. Argh! It was so infuriating!

"Idiot Tsukasa, see if I care when you get home," Tsukushi angrily spat, but before she knew it, she was staring at the album of their wedding. With a tired sigh, Tsukushi reached out for it, and opened it on the page where pictures of her and Tsukasa were.

Well, he was an idiot, but at least he was her idiot.

* * *

"Nami-chan, you're still here?" Yuki asked as she appeared by the door of the classroom, and peered outside the hall only to see a little girl standing close to the front door. A pair of dark brown eyes gazed back at her as the little girl continued standing on the same spot. "Would you like to play with me while we wait for your mama?"

"Okay…" the little girl answered, her hair pulled into two braids that rested on her shoulders, and Yuki rested her hands on her knees as she patiently waited for the girl to reach her. "Can I draw? I want to give mama something."

"Of course," Yuki answered with a sweet smile at same time she tapped the girl's nose with her index finger. "You know where the paper and crayon are. Just sit down on your chair, and do something nice for your mama."

"Okay!" Nami exclaimed, now sounding more excited, and Yuki smiled one last time at her before she straightened up, and walked out of the room. When she noticed she was all alone in the hall, Yuki silently approached the front door, and rested a hand against the doorframe as she gazed at the coloured sky.

She hoped Nami's mother would not be too late. The sun was already setting, and Yuki could see that the little girl was growing worried, not to mention that unexpected delay was really going to mess up with her agenda. But then again, it was not as if she had extremely important things to take care of…

"Yuki-chan!!!"

The young woman snapped from her thoughts at her name, and she gazed ahead only to blink when she saw Akira walking towards her, a wide smile on his face. For a second, Yuki just watched him walking towards her before she decided to bow in respect.

"Mimasaka-san…what are you doing here?" Yuki inquired as she straightened up, but Akira simply continued smiling as he stopped in front of her. "Has something happened to Tsukushi?"

"Does something always have to happen to Makino for me to visit you?" Akira questioned as he made a strange face, and Yuki felt her cheeks warming up in embarrassment. "Rest assured, nothing has happened to Makino, but…well, the reason why I came here has to do with her."

"What is it?" Yuki asked as she tilted her head slightly to the side, her hands now clasped behind her back as she patiently waited for Akira to say something. When she noticed the sly expression on the young man's face, however, Yuki could not help but fear what he was going to say.

"I was informed that Tsukasa will be back to Japan in a couple of days, so the guys and I are planning a small welcoming party." Akira explained, "Makino will obviously be there, so I thought you should come as well, since the two of you are best friends and all."

Yuki knew that a 'small welcoming party' for the famous F4 had nothing to do with a 'small welcoming party' for her.

"A-Ah…thank you for inviting me, but…" Yuki trailed off as she lowered her gaze, "But…I don't think it will be proper for me to attend the party. That welcoming party is only for Domyouji-san's closest friends, and I…even though I am quite thankful for everything you have done for me, I do not make part of your group."

"Since when do you need to make part of our group in order to be around us?" Akira inquired, his smile vanishing as he spoke, and Yuki glanced at him before she looked down again. "Even if you don't think the same way, we're friends, and I am positive Makino would be really happy for spending some time with you."

"Mimasaka-san…"

"Good evening." a voice greeted out of the blue and Yuki looked over Akira's shoulder only to see a tall and slim woman standing there, looking rather flushed. "I apologize for being so late, but I came to pick Nami-chan up."

"Oh, Mao-san, I'll go call Nami-chan, please, wait a moment." Yuki promptly replied as she bowed quickly, and while the newcomer bowed in return, Yuki turned around, and made her way towards the room.

"Nami-chan, your mama is here." Yuki announced as she walked towards the little girl, who was busy scribbling something on a paper. "Let's put the crayons and papers aside, and go greet her alright?"

"Yay, mama!" Nami excitedly exclaimed, and before Yuki could even move a muscle, the little girl practically ran towards a bookshelf where she put the remaining papers and crayons before she turned to Yuki again. "Let's go see mama!"

Giggling at the girl's actions, Yuki went after Nami only to see the girl jumping to her mother's arms as soon as she walked through the door. Waving, Yuki watched as Nami's mother carried the little girl away, and it was only when someone cleared his throat that she snapped from her thoughts.

"So, I guess that's all then!" Akira exclaimed, the smile back to his lips, and Yuki blinked at his antics. "I'll go pick you up at your house. If everything goes as planned, the party will take place next Saturday. Shall I pick you up at seven o'clock?"

"A-Ah, Mimasaka-san, I…"

"Great! That's settled then!" Akira proceeded before he raised a hand in the air, "I'll see you then!"

"Mimasaka-san!" Yuki called out, but the boy simply turned his back to her, and walked away. For a moment, Yuki just stood by the front door, looking rather flabbergasted. When, Akira turned around on a corner, and consequently disappeared from her vision, Yuki looked down.

And for a split of a second she wondered if things would ever be the same again…

**To Be Continued…**


	4. The Four Flowers

**Disclaimer: **_Hana Yori Dango _belongs to **Yoko Kamio**, which clearly shows that I own absolutely nothing. All I own is my characters and the plot.

* * *

I want to thank _**aidablue**_, _praghu_, _**BlueMizuki**_, _**matsujun lover**_, _**.xCuriousx.**_ and _**Imai's Girl-Hidan-Lover**_ for all of your support. I will do my best not to disappoint you.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

The Four Flowers

Akira had quietly yet contently made his way towards his house, a wide grin playing on his lips. Everything was going amazingly well lately, and Akira doubted there was anything that could ruin his mood. Not only that, but Tsukasa's welcoming party would take part on the next day, and Akira was actually excited about it.

It had been a long time since everyone had gotten together…

Still smiling, Akira opened the front door of his house, and walked inside only to freeze when a familiar tune reached his ears. The sound of a piano was echoing throughout the whole entry, and for a split of a second Akira wondered about who could be playing. His mother had never been that interested in music, and his father rarely played. That not to mention that his siblings had never cared much about the white grand piano either…

Cautiously, Akira made his way towards the living-room, his shoes making no noise against the marble floor. Pink and white balloons were the first thing to catch his attention as soon as Akira peeped inside the living-room, but he quickly stared at the piano.

With her back to him was a girl Akira did not recognize. Long brown locks were streaming down her back while her fingers continued playing with the keyboard.

Akira had been just about to step inside when his mother emerged from the door underneath the staircase that led to the upper floor.

"Oh, that song is so beautiful!" the older woman exclaimed as she reached the girl's side, "I still can't believe you actually managed to put my girls to sleep with that song you played before! Akira-kun usually is the one who has to do something in order for them to sleep."

"I'm just glad I managed to help." the girl replied as she looked at Mimasaka Tomomi, a faint smile on her lips, "It's the least I can do after everything you've done for me."

"Oh, you're so sweet!" Tomomi said as she rested both her hands on her cheeks, "I just baked some cookies. Would you like to eat some? I could even warm some milk for you!"

"Oh no, that's all right, there's no need to worry about me," the girl replied as she shook her head, and Akira raised an eyebrow at that. His mother, on the other hand, frowned sadly at the girl's words.

"Aw, but I baked those cookies thinking you'd like to try them out…" she whined, and Akira took the chance to step forth at same time he cleared his throat.

"Mother, I'm home." he decided to announce himself, and Tomomi immediately turned to him.

"Ah! Akira-kun!" the woman exclaimed before rushing to her son's side, and grasp his arm with both her hands, "Come! You remember Natsumi-chan, right? You two went to the same kindergarten!"

"Natsumi-chan?" Akira repeated before he noticed that the girl that was occupying the piano's stool was standing up before turning to him. Light brown orbs found his in a matter of seconds, and the girl silently bowed in respect. "Err…who?"

"It's a pleasure seeing you again, Mimasaka-san." the girl greeted, her clasped hands resting in front of her legs, and Akira blinked at her actions. "Please, take care of me."

"Take care of me…what?" Akira repeated, looking rather befuddled and he turned to his mother, who was smiling widely at him. "What's going on?"

"Oh, you don't remember Natsumi-chan, Akira-kun?" Tomomi questioned before she made her way towards the said girl, Akira watching the two of them still confused. "This is Kurosawa Natsumi; she's the heiress for the Kurosawa Company Mall. She'll be staying with us from now on."

Akira's eyes widened at that.

"Eh?"

"Please take care of me." Natsumi repeated as she bowed again, and Akira stared at her before blinking in shock.

"Eh?"

After an hour trying to digest the abrupt change in his household, Akira could be found sitting on one of his living-room's sofa, next to the girl that was going to stay in his house. Both of them were quiet, Akira staring into space while Natsumi hesitantly glanced at him once in a while.

"You're staying here?" Akira questioned all of a sudden, and the girl blinked before nodding. Slowly, the member of the F4 gazed at her, "You're staying here?"

"Ah, I'm sorry, this is actually my father's doing." Natsumi tried to explain as she raised both her hands in front of her, "I really did not know I was coming here until my father told me so. When I found out I was coming to Japan, I figured I'd be staying at a hotel or something."

"So, your name is Kurosawa Natsumi, eh?" Akira repeated, and the girl nodded in response. At her silent reply, he raised a hand to his chin in thought, "I apologize, but I really cannot remember you. Are you sure we went to the same kindergarten together?"

"Yes, I remember all of you quite well, and Sanjo Sakurako as well." Natsumi answered, and Akira tried to recall something, anything, that could support the girl's words. Well, it was not as if he did not trust her – his mother seemed to remember her quite well – but that did not change the fact that Akira himself would like to recall something too.

"You were Tulip." Natsumi commented all of a sudden, and Akira blinked at that before staring confusedly at her. Chuckling lightly, the girl waved a hand in front of her face, "I apologize. I just remembered something."

"Did you just call me…tulip?" Akira repeated, this time blinking when he saw the faint shade of pink that conquered Natsumi's pale cheeks. "What the…?"

"Ah, sorry, it's just something I made up while in kindergarten." Natsumi quickly tried to explain, "You were F4; the Four Flowers, so I just…well…I thought you would be a nice tulip…"

"I'm sorry for asking, but are you hitting on me?"

"No!" Natsumi exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock, and it was Akira's turn to chuckle at her antics.

"Sorry for asking, but it kind of looked as if you were." he pointed out, and this time Natsumi's cheeks turned a nice shade of red, "I mean, you used to think I'd be a nice tulip?"

"A-Ah, that's because of it's meaning…the meaning of tulip in flower's language…" Natsumi struggled to elucidate, and Akira tilted his head slightly to the side. When she failed to continue, he smiled faintly at her mortified facial expression.

"And what exactly is the tulip's meaning?" he asked, not being able to control himself. Embarrassedly, Natsumi glanced sideways at him before she looked down at her hands, which were resting on her knees. The red shade on her face, Akira quickly noticed, was growing darker.

"I…It means…"

"Oi Akira!" a new voice echoed through the living-room, and the member of the F4 looked behind him almost instantly. Standing by the door, with a wide smirk on his face, was Soujiroh himself.

"Ah! Soujiroh!" Akira greeted as he waved a hand in the air, "Here, I want to introduce someone to you."

"What? Is it a new girl?" the other boy inquired as he walked towards the sofa, his shoes making a lightly noise against the marble floor. Chuckling, Akira noticed that Natsumi's blush was already crawling towards her ears.

"No, not exactly." he answered as he extended a hand towards Natsumi. Confusedly, the girl looked at his outstretched hand before she gazed up at him. "This is Kurosawa Natsumi. She's the latest addition to Tsukasa's party."

"Eh?" was all Soujiroh asked before he turned to Natsumi at same time the girl stood up from the sofa, and slowly turned his way. Tilting his head to the side, Soujiroh looked at the girl up and down before he gazed at Akira, "I thought you liked older women."

"I do."

"Then, hello," Soujiroh greeted as he walked around the sofa, but when Natsumi was about to bow in greeting, she parted her lips in an inaudible gasp when his arm appeared around her shoulders. "I'm Nishikado Soujiroh. What do you say if I go show you around?"

"Ah, no, thank you." Natsumi replied, feeling uncomfortable with his arm around her, "Hum…I'm Kurosawa Natsumi."

"Yeah, Akira already introduced you." Soujiroh responded before he pulled her even closer to him. "You sure you don't want me to take you somewhere?"

"Thank you, but I'm fine here." Natsumi thanked again, and Soujiroh shrugged before he dropped his arm. Then, he turned to Akira, ignoring completely the look of relief that crossed Natsumi's face for a split of a second.

"You said she's the latest addition to Tsukasa's party. Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I didn't know she was here until I got home." Akira explained as he sat down on the sofa again, "Apparently she's going to start living with us from now on. I thought it was only polite to invite her to come as well."

"She's living with you?" Soujiroh asked in disbelief, and Akira nodded at that. None of them saw Natsumi rolling her eyes at their conversation; it seemed as if they had forgotten that she was there. "Tell me everything."

Natsumi had to fight the urge of rolling her eyes again; yep, they had definitely forgotten all about her.

* * *

Just like she had been expecting; a small welcoming party for the illustrious F4 was nowhere near what a small welcoming party was in her world. Akira's living-room was decorated in tones of red, gold and silver while food fitted for a wedding was displayed in various tables, all covered with the finest and purest white silk table cloths.

The liveliness of the party had started as soon as Tsukushi and Tsukasa had walked inside, bickering about the welcoming party. Apparently, Tsukasa could not understand why the party was taking place in Akira's house when it could have taken place in his own house. Tsukushi, on the other hand, was doing her best to make her husband realize that since it had been Akira's idea, it was only fair for the party to occur in the Mimasaka's household.

Tsukasa, however, was not convinced, and ended his speech by calling Tsukushi a big idiot, which had ended up with the girl calling him a stupid idiot as well. It was needless to say the couple had split up in different directions as soon as they reached the living-room's door.

After the couple's fight, Akira had tried his best to ease the almost palpable tension that was hanging in the air. He first introduced a girl, Kurosawa Natsumi, to the group, and informed everyone that she was going to stay with him for a while. She had seen Soujiroh glancing at the said girl for a couple of seconds before looking away with a smirk, and despite of all of her efforts, she could not ignore the dread that filled her stomach when she noticed his behaviour.

Only Rui did not seem interested in the newcomer because while Tsukushi rushed to Natsumi's side, shouting 'sensei?', Tsukasa approached Akira, and started asking all sort of questions about the girl.

Glancing down at her refined glass, filled with a strangely sweet wine, Yuuki let out an inaudible sigh. She truly felt out of place, dressed in her plain white dress while her hair, curled at the end, fell down her back like a wave of dark chocolate. As expected, Tsukushi had barely shared two words with her, and even though Akira occasionally glanced her way, he had not exactly approached her either.

But then again, it was not as if she had been expecting him to focus all of his attention on her.

Not knowing what to do, Yuuki approached the first table, and started at all the fruit. She had been just about to reach out for a peach berry jubilee when her eyes fell on another dessert. After staring at it for a while, Yuuki reached out for one of the cups before gazing at the little paper in front of the dessert.

It was marshmallow salad.

Shrugging lightly at the name, Yuuki reached out for a small spoon before she turned around so that she was facing everyone again. She had been just about to dip the spoon in the delectable sweet when someone appeared next to her.

"Yuuki-chan, let's dance!" Akira exclaimed all of a sudden, and the girl only had time to widen her eyes in surprise before she saw Akira taking her cup away from her hands. Before her brain had time to process what was going on, Yuuki found herself being pulled to the centre of the living-room by a grinning Akira.

She had just been about to comment that there was no music when the sound of a waltz erupted from the walls.

"A-Ah, Mimasaka-san, I don't know how to…" Yuuki was interrupted when Akira raised her hand, and started guiding her through the floor.

"Just trust me," Akira whispered as he continued to lead her through the dance, and despite of everything, Yuuki found herself going red. She honestly felt like the centre of the attention, mostly because no one else was dancing.

"Makino," Rui said as he approached the girl, who was silently watching her best friend dancing with gracefulness, "Would you like to dance?"

"Eh?" was all Makino blurted out, but before she could say anything else, Rui reached out for her wrist, and pulled her to the dance floor. Both of them knew that Tsukasa was glaring at them, and that was why none of them was surprised when the heir of the Domyouji Worldwide Financial group appeared next to them, holding a stunned Natsumi.

"See? Everyone's dancing so you can loosen up now." Akira murmured as he continued guiding Yuuki through the dance floor, silently taking in the girl's red cheeks. That was probably one of the reasons why he liked to tease her once in a while; Yuuki blushed far too easily.

"T-Thank you…" Yuuki whispered in return, and Akira smiled widely at her words.

"Ah, don't thank me yet, the best is yet to come." he said, but when Yuuki had been just about to lock her eyes with his, Akira looked to his side. Smirking when an idea popped in his mind, Akira glanced at Yuuki again, "Let the fun begin."

Before Yuuki could understand what was going on, Akira spun her around, and pushed her forward. Gasping, the girl found herself falling forward, but just when she had been expecting to kiss the ground, she felt two arms wrap around her torso.

"Only idiots stumble on their own feet!" Yuuki heard someone hiss, but she felt her blood turn into lava when her brain finally recognized who had spoken. Ignoring the locks of hair that were blocking her vision, Yuuki raised her head, and blushed all possible shades of red when she saw that she was indeed in the arms of Nishikado Soujiroh.

"Let me show you how to dance!" Soujiroh hissed again right when the waltz ended only to be replaced by a foxtrot.

"Nishikado-san!" Yuuki gasped when the boy pulled her to the dance floor by the arm, but she was surprised when she noticed that he was not hurting her. Instead, his grasp was firm yet moderate.

Without bothering to say a word, Soujiroh just raised her right hand in the air before he started pulling her to the side. After two steps, Yuuki found herself twirling twice before she returned to her original position, facing Soujiroh.

At the beginning of the dance, when Soujiroh turned to face her, Yuuki had realized she would not be able to look at him in the eye. She wanted too…she desired it, but she could not. Every time she dared to glance at his face, Yuuki would recall him surrounded by the two European beauties, and her heart would squeeze in wretchedness.

After all, she had always known she was no match for the prominent Nishikado Soujiroh; she just wished he knew that well enough to stop throwing that fact in her face all the time.

As she twirled around under his silent command, Yuuki could not help but wish for the dance to end as soon as possible. She had already spotted Akira dancing with Natsumi while Tsukushi had returned to Tsukasa's arms. She knew what Akira was trying to do, and a few months ago she would have thanked that help. Now, however, things were different.

Every time her skin touched Soujiroh's, Yuuki only felt the need to weep. Every time their torsos shifted closer, all Yuuki wanted was to run away. Every time she felt her breaths mixing with Soujiroh's, all Yuuki wanted was to kiss him, but she knew she could not, and that was simply devastating.

That was why Yuuki could not help but breath in relief when the dance finally came to an end. Soujiroh quickly dropped her hands before walking away without saying one single word. That action hurt her, more than Yuuki was willing to admit, but the girl still did her best to hide her misery by turning around, and approach the table where the drinks were.

Next time, no matter how hard Akira begged, she would not go to another of those parties.

"I see Gladiolus hasn't changed."

Looking to her side, Yuuki saw Natsumi standing one arm length away from her, holding a glass with orange juice. For a moment, she just stared at the newcomer before she tilted her head to the side.

"Gladiolus?"

"Yes, Nishikado Soujiroh." Natsumi elucidated as she stared at the said boy, who was now sitting on the sofa, next to Rui. Then, she turned to Yuuki, and chuckled, "Can you keep a secret?"

Although she was not entirely sure of what she was supposed to do, Yuuki nodded. Smiling, Natsumi shifted closer to her, and started speaking quite low so that no one else could hear what she was saying.

"I gave flower names to those four guys." Natsumi confessed, and Yuuki looked strangely at her, "They name themselves the Flour Flowers, right? That was why I did some research, and gave each one of them the name of a flower."

"So…Nishikado-san is a…gladiolus?" Yuuki asked in a whisper, and when Natsumi nodded, she frowned. "What does that mean?"

"Ah, I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you." Natsumi responded, and Yuuki blinked at that. Tilting her head to the side again, Yuuki took in the girl that was standing next to her; by what Tsukushi had said at the beginning of the party, Natsumi was her Portuguese teacher despite of the fact she did not look any older than them.

"Hum…Kurosawa-san…" Yuuki started, rather hesitantly, and the girl looked at her again. "From where do you know F4?"

"You mean, aside from the fact they are known all over the world?" Natsumi asked, and Yuuki waited for a few seconds before nodding, "I met them while we were at the kindergarten. However, I left Japan when I was ten, so I can't blame them for not remembering me. Besides, I don't exactly stand out so…"

Automatically, Yuuki gazed at Natsumi up and down. She had almond shaped eyes, and she was quite tall; Yuuki guessed she was almost as tall as Hanazawa Rui. She also had a rather sturdy figure, but she also had an hourglass figure which helped her to look a little thinner. Her mid-length brown hair had some nearly golden highlights, and it was so curly that Yuuki was half tempted to ask if her curls were natural.

Her skin was quite pale as well, which clashed a little with her wavy and dark hair.

"So, you met the F4 when you were children?" Yuuki decided to ask when she finally noticed that Natsumi was staring at her, and the other girl nodded, "When did you come up with the idea to give them names of flowers?"

"Ah, I was probably seven at the time." Natsumi responded before she smiled faintly at the memories, "Nishikado is Gladiolus, Mimasaka is Tulip, and Domyouji is Camellia."

"What about Hanazawa-san?"

Yuuki watched as Natsumi's faint smile faded away only to be replaced by a cheerless expression. However, as soon as that look appeared in the girl's face it was gone, and before Yuuki could even part her lips to say something, Natsumi turned to her, the smile back to her face.

"Hanazawa is Daffodil."

With those words, Natsumi smiled one last time at Yuuki before she turned to the table behind them. Yuuki, too stunned to say anything, just started at Natsumi for a moment before she looked down at the floor.

For some reason, she could not help but feel as if she was not the only one who had something to hide.

**To Be Continued…**


	5. The Moments We Share

**Disclaimer: **_Hana Yori Dango _belongs to **Yoko Kamio**, which clearly shows that I own absolutely nothing. All I own is my characters and the plot.

* * *

I want to thank _**BlueMizuki**_, _**H.Y.D3292**_, _**Loving Hidan**_, _**matsujun lover**_ and _**kenni no. 1**_ for all of your support. I also want to apologize for taking so long to update this story, but I will work hard to post more chapters soon.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

The Moments We Share

_Only idiots stumble on their own feet!_

_Let me show you how to dance!_

Lava flooded through her veins, and Yuuki gasped in bewilderment at same time her eyes snapped wide open. Sitting up straight on her bed, the girl raised a hand to her chest, and noticed how fast her heart was racing. Bullets of sweat rolled down the girl's flushed face, but Yuuki paid it no notice as Soujiroh's voice continued ringing inside her head.

Letting go off her chest, Yuuki raised her hand until she was staring right at her fingers. She could still feel the way Soujiroh had held her on the previous day, during the minutes he had danced with her. If she closed her eyes, she could still feel how close his chest had been from hers, and the way their breathing had mixed together in an invisible tango.

Groaning at those memories, Yuuki covered her face with her hands, and felt a shiver run up her spine as she recalled her dance with Soujiroh. Those short minutes had felt like an eternity to her…a perpetuity that had been both blessed and cursed by his touch and cologne.

"Damn it…" Yuuki cursed under her breath before she ran her right hand through her long locks. Taking a deep breath, the girl pushed the covers aside, and stood up from her bed before making her way towards the window.

Pushing the pale yellow curtains aside, Yuuki closed her eyes at the bright light, and took a deep breath. Slowly, she gazed at the sky, and noticed how clear it was. The day was going to be bright and warm, which was exactly what she needed in order to recover from the dream she had had that night.

"Okay, let's get to work." Yuuki told herself before she turned to her bed, but as soon as her eyes landed on the mattress, she dropped her shoulders. Oh, how she just wished to lie down, and wait for all of her feelings to go away, but unfortunately things did not always go as planned.

"What am I? Thirteen?" Yuuki asked, but when she was about to reach for her pillow, her cell-phone started ringing. Turning to her bedside table, Yuuki grabbed her cell-phone, and gazed at the screen only to freeze.

Biting her lower lip, Yuuki was about to put her cell-phone down when she gazed at the screen again. Did she really want to pick it up? But if she did not, Yuuki knew she would feel bad about it.

"Hello?" Yuuki asked as she pressed the phone against her ear, and then she smiled faintly, "Good morning to you too, Mimasaka-san."

For a moment all Yuuki did was listening to Akira as he spoke about the previous night. Apparently, everyone had enjoyed being together so much that they had decided to meet up for lunch that day.

_And since it's Sunday, I thought you'd like to join us_, Akira had explained, and Yuuki let out an inaudible sigh at that.

"Well, Mimasaka-san…" Yuuki tried to say as she sat down on her bed, facing the window, "I don't think I should go, I mean, I'm sure everyone just wants to spend some time with Domyouji-san, and…"

Yuuki stopped talking as soon as Akira's voice erupted from the other side of the line, and she made a face. Apparently, Akira was sick of hearing her say that she did not belong to the group. And it also looked that she was going to eat lunch with them regardless if she wanted to or not.

"Okay, I'll meet you in an hour." Yuuki heard herself say after being lectured by Akira for almost ten minutes. "Is it required to wear…hmm…fancy clothes?"

Akira's laughter echoed from the other sound of the line, and Yuuki found herself going red in embarrassment. But then again it was not as if she could stop herself; Akira always managed to make her feel awkward.

"Okay, I'll wear my usual clothes." Yuuki agreed with Akira at same time she nodded. "Yes. I'll see you later, then. Goodbye."

Lowering her hand, Yuuki stared at her cell-phone for various minutes before she decided to put it on the bedside table again. She honestly did not feel like going to that lunch; not after what had happened between her and Soujiroh. Now, Yuuki knew that Soujiroh probably did not care less, but the fact that she simply could not forget his touch irritated her.

Deciding that it was better for her to go get ready, Yuuki went to her closet, and took the clothes she would wear for lunch. Although Akira had said that she could wear her usual clothes, Yuuki still knew she had to work hard. If she wore her normal clothes, then she would stand out even more when beside her friends…and not in a good way.

After deciding what to wear, Yuuki made her way to the bathroom, and took a long bath. Afterwards, she tried her best to deal with her hair before she returned to her bedroom, and looked at the clothes she had selected.

Carefully, Yuuki reached out for the white skirt she had put on her bed before running her fingers through the pale green top next to it. She had decided to wear black sandals and a black jacket along with those two pieces, but she knew it was still not enough.

It would never be enough.

"Damn you, Mimasaka-san…" Yuuki cursed under her breath as she started dressing, but deep down she knew she did not mean those words. Akira had been nothing but kind to her, and Yuuki knew she owed him a lot. As a matter of fact, Yuuki knew she would never, ever, be able to repay his kindness.

After deciding which earrings and bracelet she should wear with her outfit, Yuuki gazed at her reflection in the mirror. Should she wear her hair down? Or perhaps she should wear it in a ponytail? No, that would look as if she was going to the gym or something.

Yuuki was just about to reach out for an accessory for her hair, when the bell rang. Blinking, Yuuki gazed at the alarm-clock next to her bed, and widened her eyes in surprise when she noticed she was late. Hastily, she applied lip-gloss, and rushed out of her bedroom.

"Coming!" Yuuki called out as she made her way towards the front door, which she opened as quickly as she could. Non-surprisingly, Akira stood on the other side, a wide grin brightening his whole face, "Mimasaka-san!"

"Oh, where you expecting someone else?" Akira teased, the smile still on his face, and Yuuki blushed faintly at her own actions. "Are you ready?"

"Let me just go grab my purse." Yuuki requested before she made her way towards the living-room. Seconds later, she was standing in front of Akira again, also holding her keys, "Thank you for picking me up."

"No need to thank me. Besides, Natsumi-chan also said there was really no point in you calling a taxi when we could come here." Akira explained, and Yuuki looked confusedly at him. "Ah, did I forget to mention Natsumi-chan was coming with us?"

As he spoke, Akira gave on step backwards, allowing for Yuuki to look behind him. Just outside her fence, was Akira's car, and since one of the doors were open, it was easy for Yuuki to spot Natsumi on the backseat.

"Well, shall we go?" Akira asked all of a sudden as he offered Yuuki his arm, and the girl turned to him again. "I promise you'll have fun."

"Okay…" Yuuki timidly responded as she closed the door behind her before she accepted Akira's arm.

"Hello, Yuuki-san." Natsumi greeted when the pair reached the car, and Yuuki bowed in respect before greeting the girl as well. "How are you since yesterday?"

"I'm alright, thank you for asking." Yuuki responded as she sat down next to the girl, and Natsumi smiled at her before she waved a hand in front of her face.

"There's no need for you to be so formal, we're the same age and all." she pointed out, and Yuuki smiled uncertainly at her.

"Ah, she's always like that." Akira declared as he started the engine, and Natsumi gazed at him. "I keep telling her to just relax and have fun, but do you think she listens to me? I think every time I tell Yuuki-chan to loosen up, she just petrifies."

"Hey, I'm right here, you know?" Yuuki complained before she could stop herself, and the corner of Akira's lips twitched into an amused smile. Natsumi, on the other hand, just chuckled before she focused her attention on Yuuki again.

"Let's just have fun, okay?" she asked, and Yuuki nervously turned to her as well before nodding.

Minutes later, the three of them were standing in front of a five stars restaurant, and Yuuki felt dread erupt from the bottom of her stomach. As she stood between Akira and Natsumi, Yuuki found herself wondering once again if being there was the right thing to do.

"Hey, look! It's Tsukasa and Makino!" Akira exclaimed all of a sudden, and Yuuki turned to her side only to see her best friend approaching them while holding Tsukasa's arm. "Now, where are Rui and Soujiroh?"

"Yoh!" Tsukasa greeted as he stopped next to Akira, "Who came up with this place?"

"I did." Akira answered as he smiled at his friends, his hands resting inside his jeans pockets, "It's a new restaurant, and I figured we could try it out. Besides, it's not as if someone had any suggestion."

"It looks impressive, Mimasaka-san." Tsukushi replied before Tsukasa could come up with any sort of retort, and it was then that she spotted her best friend, "Yuuki! You came!"

"Yes, Mimasaka-san was kind enough to invite me." Yuuki replied with a smile, and Tsukushi smiled widely at her before turning to Natsumi.

"Good morning, Kurosawa-sensei." she greeted, and the said girl turned to her, and bowed.

"Good morning, Makino-san." she said in return, a small smile on her lips. "Please, if you don't mind, do not call me _sensei_ while we're outside school, especially when we're about to have lunch with friends. It makes me feel old."

"Oh. Shall I call you Kurosawa-san, then?" Tsukushi asked, but Natsumi simply smiled at her again. Shrugging slightly, Tsukushi turned to Tsukasa. "Did you tell the others to meet us here like I asked you to?"

"For the tenth time already; yes! I called Rui, and told him to meet us here!" Tsukasa almost yelled as he glared at his wife, "Damn it, woman! How many times are you going to ask me that?"

"Well, I'm sorry I'm worried since none of them are here yet." Tsukushi growled as she glared back at Tsukasa, who simply snarled back in response. Akira, sensing a fight, decided to step in.

"Look, why don't we go wait for them inside?" he inquired, but before he could continue, Natsumi's voice was heard.

"They're here."

Everyone looked to their sides in response to those words. Emerging from a corner, both of them with their hands inside their pants pockets, were Rui and Soujiroh. As soon as her eyes fell upon the dark haired boy, Yuuki felt anxiety emerge from the pit of her stomach while her heart skipped various beats.

_A person matures after going through a painful, bitter love. You won't make the same mistake next time…alright?_

Yuuki had no idea why Soujiroh's voice echoed from the back of her mind on that moment, but that memory only amplified her uneasiness. The closer Soujiroh got, the more nervous Yuuki felt, and she involuntarily twitched her fingers as she felt sweat grow in the palm of her hands.

She really, really felt like going to that lunch was a bad idea.

"Took you long enough," Tsukasa barked as soon as his friends reached the group, and Soujiroh smirked at that.

"Sorry, my fault." he responded, "I saw these babes a few minutes ago, and I just had to get their phone number."

Yuuki winced when she felt a stab against her chest, but she managed to mask it by looking down.

"Ah, had I known you were this late because of some women, I'd have started eating a long time ago!" Tsukasa protested, and Rui smiled warmly at Tsukushi before he turned to his friend.

"Well, we're here already, so shall we go?" he asked, and before someone could come up with something to say, he made his way towards the front doors.

"C'mon, let's go have some fun." Yuuki heard from beside her, and when she gazed to her side, she saw Akira looking back at her. Blinking, she stared down at his extended arm, and smiled warmly at his antics.

He really knew what to do in order to make her feel better.

"Thank you…" Yuuki whispered as she accepted his arm, but Akira simply smiled brightly at her before following Tsukasa and Tsukushi inside the restaurant as well.

Two hours later, however, any possible feeling of comfort had disappeared, and it had been replaced by both tenseness and self-consciousness. Yuuki knew that those feelings were related with the fact that while Akira was on her right, Soujiroh had been lead to the seat on her left.

During lunchtime Yuuki had gone through the enormous torture of feeling both her arm and leg occasionally brushing against Soujiroh's. However, while the boy appeared to be paying those strokes no notice, Yuuki would always feel her insides doing flip-flops while her blood would start to boil.

She really could not understand why Soujiroh enjoyed ignoring her so much. Since he barely even glanced her way, Yuuki truly believed that he was having fun taunting her so much. And the problem was that she did not know why. Yes, she had told him about her feelings for him. Yes, she had tried to get his attention, and make him like her, but it was not as if she continued doing that now.

She had learnt her lesson. She now knew better than to show her feelings for him. Instead, she was doing the best she could to keep everything hidden from everyone…she was doing the best she could to bury all those feelings deep inside of her so that she too could forget about them.

"Ne, Yuuki-san," Yuuki heard someone call out for her, and when she looked to the person sitting next to Akira, she saw that Natsumi was watching her, "Don't you think Gladiolus is being silly?"

"Eh?"

"Gladiolus? What gladiolus?" Akira repeated as he stared confusedly at the newest member of the group, but Natsumi simply pressed a finger against her lips as she looked at him. Then, she focused her attention on Yuuki once more.

"Don't you think you ought to do something about it?" she pressed the matter, and Yuuki tilted her head to the side in confusion. It was only after a few seconds in silence that Yuuki recalled what Natsumi had told her on the previous night.

_I gave flower names to those four guys._ _They name themselves the Flour Flowers, right? That was why I did some research, and gave each one of them the name of a flower._

_So…Nishikado-san is a…gladiolus?_ _What does that mean?  
_

"Ah!" Yuuki breathed out as she widened her eyes in realization, and Natsumi smiled widely at her. "Ah, but I…I…"

"Oi, what's this about gladiolus?" Tsukushi stepped into the conversation with a curious mask on her face, and she then gazed at her friend. "Don't tell me your interested in gardening now, Yuuki."

"Oh, no….I was just…Natsumi-san was just…"

"I think you can call it a private joke." Natsumi decided to interrupt Yuuki, who turned to her as well as everyone else. "I'll tell you about it later."

"Oi, where are you from again?" Tsukasa asked all of a sudden as he pointed a finger at Natsumi, who turned to him in surprise.

"I was born in Japan, but I went to Portugal when I was ten." Natsumi explained, "I went to the same kindergarten as you did."

"You did? I don't remember you." Tsukasa responded in a nonchalant way, but Natsumi did not bother to say anything in return. "Why did you return to Japan?"

"Oi, stop being so noisy," Tsukushi warned as she punched Tsukasa on his arm, and her husband turned to her.

"What? It's a fair question."

"I came back because I want to work hard since I'm the heiress to my father's company." Natsumi decided to say before a fight could start between the newlyweds. "That's all there is to it."

"Gladiolus?" Yuuki heard Soujiroh whisper from next to her, and she cautiously looked to her side only to see Soujiroh staring down in confusion. It was also only then that she saw how her elbow was touching his, and for a split of a second Yuuki allowed herself to faintly blush.

What no one noticed as lunch proceeded was the suspicious way Rui was staring at Natsumi.

**To Be Continued…**

**Authoress Note: **Some people have been asking if this will include a romantic relationship between Akira and Yuuki. To be quite frank, I always saw these two as two people who can understand and help each other. I really love playing with their bond, and hopefully you will enjoy watching these two bloom in this story. However, the main couple of this story is Soujiroh x Yuuki. I know they have no interacted much until now, but trust me, that will change.

As for Rui and Natsumi, some of you asked if they will be a couple. I cannot offer you an answer yet, but I do hope you will enjoy their interaction.

Thank you so much for the attention!


	6. Crimson Tears

**Disclaimer: **_Hana Yori Dango _belongs to **Yoko Kamio**, which clearly shows that I own absolutely nothing. All I own is my characters and the plot.

* * *

Hello everyone! My, my, it has been a long while, has it not? Does anyone remember this story? I hope so. I know it has been a long time since I have last updated this story, but I just want to tell you that I have not forgotten about this. I will do my best to write the next chapter soon!

Thank you so much for all of your attention!

* * *

**Chapter 6**

_Crimson Tears_

Yuki had absolutely no idea what had happened for her to be in the middle of a mall, doing shopping. Usually she would spend her Sunday's afternoon preparing everything for the upcoming week, including games and other activities she could do with the children.

On that particular Sunday, however, she had been taken to the mall by Tsukushi and Natsumi. And the truth was that, even though she was content to be with the two girls, Yuki still could not help but feel completely out of place.

But then again, how was she supposed to feel comfortable inside a store where the cheapest thing on sale cost as much as her salary?

Looking around, Yuki tried to keep a low profile, and focused her attention on a pair of bracelets displayed in a shelf. Around the two bracelets were matching rings and earrings. And all together, they cost more than she could make in a whole year.

Sighing to herself, Yuki gazed to her side, and watched as Natsumi requested to see a necklace. Then, she looked to the other side of the shop, and observed as Tsukushi allowed for the worker to put a tiara on top of her head.

Apparently, Tsukushi was to attend a party held by Tsukasa himself in favour of orphanage children. What Yuki did not understand, however, was how her friend could wear a tiara in such meeting when they were supposed to debate about what they could do to help the children to receive the necessary care.

Well, Yuki guessed that was one side of the rich people she rather not understand.

"Would you like to see something, Miss?" a voice asked all of a sudden, and Yuki snapped from her thoughts only to see a young woman approach her with a smile. A blush immediately conquered her cheeks, and Yuki shook her head.

"No, thank you. I'm just waiting for my friends." she responded, hands clasped in front of her legs, but she still noticed the disappointed way the woman stared at her. "I'm sorry…"

"Oh no, Miss, there's no need to apologize." the worker replied as she waved a hand carefully in the air before bowing. "Excuse me."

Nodding back, Yuki watched as the woman walked away, her cheeks still burning. She really hated to be in a place such as that one. She felt completely out of place, and all she wanted was to walk through the front doors, and never return.

"I'm sorry for taking so long." looking to her side, Yuki watched as Natsumi walked towards her while holding two small black bags in her hands. "I promised my mother I would send her something over for a party my father is going to held in Portugal, and she's quite fond of this store."

"Oh, it's alright." Yuki answered as she smiled at same time she waved a hand in front of her face. "I guess we only have to wait for Makino now."

As soon as those words escaped from her lips, the two girls gazed in direction of Tsukasa's wife. Not surprisingly, Tsukushi was still busy choosing the jewellery, and Yuki had to stop herself from letting out a tired sigh.

"I also have something for you." Yuki heard Natsumi announce, and when she turned to face the girl, she found herself staring at a petite black bag. "I apologize if it's not of your liking. We can always exchange it for something else."

"W-What?" was all Yuki managed to stutter before Natsumi reached out for one of her naked hands, and placed the bag in her palm. "B-But…you…I…I can't accept this!"

"Nonsense, it's a gift. You cannot return it." Natsumi corrected her with a small shake of her head. "We may exchange it for something else that you may prefer, but you cannot return it. It's something I bought for you. End of discussion."

"But…"

"Please, accept it." Natsumi interrupted her, and even though she was ready to say that she could not possibly accept such gift, Yuki decided to keep her lips sealed. Uncomfortably, she stared down at the black bag, and felt a knot form on her throat.

"Well I…" she started only to clear her throat when she felt her eyes burning. Could it be that Natsumi had sensed her uneasiness? "I…"

Without knowing what else to do, and without caring about those who could be observing her, Yuki bowed in respect. Locks of hair fell down her shoulders, concealing most of her face, and Yuki took a deep breath before speaking again.

"Thank you, Kurosawa-san…"

"Please, don't do that. It's just a gift. You haven't even opened it yet."

She did not need to open it in order to feel grateful. Yuki knew she would never be able to repay for such kindness. Albeit for most people Natsumi's gesture would look casual and natural, for Yuki it meant a lot.

"Okay, I have everything I need!" Tsukushi announced with a wide smile on her face, but when she saw Yuki bowing, she frowned. "What's going on?"

"Nothing important." Natsumi responded before Yuki could even think about straightening up. "Shall we go to the next store?"

"Oh yes, please. I really need to buy a new dress!" Tsukushi declared as she walked out of the store, and Yuki looked up when she felt Natsumi following her childhood friend.

Looking down at the bag she was still holding, Yuki unconsciously pressed it against her chest, and closed her eyes. She really did not understand what was going on, but it was also true that she was reaching her limit.

If Tsukushi did not change, then Yuki would stop trying to change.

"Oi, Yuki!" Tsukushi's voice echoed from outside the store, and the said girl snapped from her daze only to notice that her friends were waiting. Without thinking, she rushed out of the store only to bump into a hard body, which caused her to stagger.

"Whoa!" a male voice exclaimed, and Yuki felt her breath get stuck on her throat when two hands met her shoulders, stopping her stumble. "What the—?"

Looking up, apologies ready to abandon her lips, Yuki felt all air abandon her lungs when her eyes met a pair of dark orbs. Brown streaks fell in front of her eyes as Yuki struggled to regain her posture, but she never broke the eye-contact.

She simply could not look away.

"It's you…"

The way he whispered those words resembled to a knife piercing her heart. It felt like her whole body ached in pain as his voice echoed at her ears, making the words impossible to forget.

Heavens, it hurt. It hurt so much…

"Nishikado-san!"

Tsukushi's voice was all Yuki needed to return to reality, and notice that Soujiroh was still holding her shoulders. The warmth that had been spreading through her body quickly turned into acid, and she felt coldness run down her spine.

Abruptly, she gave one step backwards, releasing herself from Nishikado's grasp.

"What are you doing here?"

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?" Soujiroh asked as he turned to face Tsukushi, his hands now inside his pants pockets. For Yuki, it seemed as if he was trying to clean his skin after touching her.

"As if you don't know," Tsukushi retorted as she stopped in front of the tall young man, "You're supposed to go to the party as well. Just like Mimasaka-san and Hanazawa Rui."

"Ah, that party…" Soujiroh trailed off before smirking, "Who knows if I'll be able to attend. I have stuff to take care of, you know?"

"Like what? Chasing a new pair of legs?"

Yuki knew that Tsukushi had not meant to hurt her by uttering those words. At least, that was what she wanted to believe in. Even though they did not speak as much as before, Yuki needed to believe her friend had not forgotten her feelings towards Soujiroh.

"What else?"

Her eyes burned almost immediately while her heart clenched in ache. Closing her hands into fists, Yuki knew she would begin to cry if she did not leave. And the last thing she wanted was to cry in front of Nishikado Soujiroh.

"Honestly, you ought to—"

Parting her lips, Yuki felt a sob making its way from the bottom of her soul, but before it came out, Natsumi entwined an arm with hers right one.

"Ne, Makino-san, I have to go check the pet store, and since Nishikado-san is with you, I'll be taking Yuki-san with me." Natsumi declared with a small smile, and before someone could say something, she turned around, taking Yuki with her.

"Kurosawa-san…"

"You can cry if you want." Natsumi told Yuki as they walked around a corner, disappearing from both Tsukushi and Soujiroh's sight. "I won't tell anyone."

As soon as those words reached her ears, Yuki felt her whole being tremble in anguish, and she stopped walking. Without caring about those who were walking past them, Yuki sensed Natsumi move closer to her with a reassuring smile on her face.

And that was all Yuki needed to burst into tears.

* * *

"You know, I don't really understand what's going on between Soujiroh and Yuki-chan." Akira commented as he observed the pieces of chess displayed in front of him. "I mean…I don't really get it why Soujiroh refuses to be around her. She's such a good girl."

"You would know…" Rui responded as he patiently waited for his friend to make his move, and Akira glanced confusedly at him. "You know Matsuoka better than everybody else."

"Excluding Makino, that is." Akira told him before he finally decided to go forward with his next move, "But honestly, sometimes I just feel like locking those two in a room, and force them to make amends."

"Knowing Soujiroh, you'd only anger him." Rui said, without taking his eyes off the board. Smirking faintly at Akira's move, he knew the game was his. "And I win."

"I shall make no comments about this game." Akira stated as he shook his head, and it was then that he rested his hands behind his neck. Leaning against the back of his chair, he proceeded, "But honestly, don't you think things have gone from bad to worse?"

Rui decided not to say anything, and Akira took a deep breath in.

"Do you think we should do something about this?"

"No." Rui immediately responded, resting his elbows on his legs, and Akira blinked at that. "Leave them alone."

"But it's clear that Yuki-chan likes Soujiroh." Akira tried to say, but once again Rui did not say anything. "I just feel bad seeing her so miserable, especially when I know I could be trying to do something to change it."

"Have you found anything related to Kurosawa?"

Akira blinked at the sudden change of subject, but did not say anything about it. Instead, he simply continued staring at his friend before lowering his arms. Straightening up, Akira glanced down at the chess board before shaking his head.

"She's clean." he informed his friend, "I honestly didn't feel that well doing this kind of research, especially when it's obvious that my mother knows what she's doing. I just don't get it why you're so suspicious of Natsumi-chan."

"Cautious is the correct word." Rui corrected him, and Akira had to stop himself from rolling his eyes at that.

"Still, I think she's a good girl." Akira said, "She was born in Japan, but left to Portugal when she was ten. She did go to the same kindergarten as us, and she did return because her father ordered her to. She came to my place because her father contacted mine."

"And how does your father know hers?" Rui asked, and Akira shrugged.

"I don't know. I assume they are associates." he answered, rather indifferently, and it was then that he looked at Rui in the eye. "Why are you so suspicious of her?"

"No particular reason." Rui said with a nonchalant shrug. "I just wanted to make sure troubles won't be following Makino any time soon."

"You really do tend to behave like her guardian angel or something." Akira laughed out loud, but Rui did not reply. "Don't worry that much. If something does happen, we'll be here to help Makino out."

At the time, no one knew how true those words would become.

**To Be Continued…**

**

* * *

**

I know it has been a long time since I last updated this story, but I hope it was worth waiting for. More development will come next! Thank you for everything!


End file.
